[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Sakana-roku' Episode 32: Caprese and Sparkling Wine
Content Introduction
Today's dish is 'Caprese,' where tomatoes and basil, like the summer sun, are embraced by mozzarella cheese, which resembles white clouds.
Please enjoy this story of sparkling wine and heart-easing moments, along with the recipe and ingredient introduction, unfolding in a virtual izakaya.
Main Story
When you pass through the noren curtain, you are wrapped in a small world.
Words unravel into sake, and we talk over appetizers.
What shall be recorded tonight?
I suddenly felt the whisper of green dancing in the wind on the back alley I was used to turning into. But perhaps that was just the scent of the basil I had picked on the balcony earlier that day, still lingering on my palms.
Ayumu Makihara was lost. It was an old shop with no name and no sign, just a white noren curtain hanging in front. This was the second time standing before it.
The first time was five years ago. When I was developing recipes for videos, I consulted the chef I happened to meet, Ikkon Mashiro. He didn't answer my questions, but served me a meal instead. I ate in silence and left in silence. That was the kind of shop it was.
─I hadn't intended to come today.
I had chilled the Prosecco. I had made the Caprese. I had wiped down the chair on the balcony. I had prepared perfectly for a summer dinner for one.
But my feet had naturally headed here.
Passing through the noren, I was enveloped in a surprisingly quiet atmosphere. On the counter remained a used plate for one and a small sake cup still lightly beaded with water droplets.
'Welcome.'
Mashiro's voice reached me through its temperature rather than its sound, as always.
'I've come again.'
'Welcome. How is your appetite?'
'I want to eat something refreshing.'
With just that exchange, Mashiro retreated to the back. There was no sound from the kitchen.
Before long, a long, narrow plate was placed on the counter.
Tomato and mozzarella. Between them, glossy basil leaves that had soaked up plenty of sun. The salt was light, and the olive oil shimmered thinly.
'─Caprese, I see.'
'Yes. The basil smells wonderful today.'
Ayumu couldn't help but smile. It was the same thing I had been making in my own room just a moment ago. Yet, this plate was wrapped in something completely different.
When I took a bite with chopsticks instead of a fork, the tomato juice burst forth. The basil wrapped around it, and the cheese connected them. I had forgotten that I once wished to make a dish like this myself.
'If you'd like, some sparkling wine.'
The bubbles poured into the slender glass were rising quietly. The aroma drifted through my nose, and I closed my eyes instinctively.
“Prosecco, isn't it?”
“It seems many people in Italy like to pair it with Caprese.”
Ayumu took another bite, then tilted the glass.
For a fleeting moment, I felt as if someone’s lingering scent remained. I glanced to the side at the seat that had just been cleared. The sake vessel left there, and the faint trace of a conversation.
—Someone was here just a moment ago.
I was in the same space as that person, and surely, we were both alternating between sake and appetizers in the same way. But the food and drink served, and the stories told, were surely different. Moved by the mysterious power of what we call fate, Ayumu’s mouth began to move.
“Was the previous customer also alone?”
“Yes. They were someone who helped me out with the name of this shop five years ago.”
Ayumu laughed, wondering if such a coincidence could really happen. That person had taken care of Mashiro five years ago, and I had been taken care of by that same Mashiro.
The bubbles in the glass were slowly diminishing. The scent of basil returned to my nasal cavity.
Come to think of it, perhaps my cooking videos and gardening lectures, which felt like dialogues with someone, were actually just monologues all along. Even so, by touching the lingering aftertaste of someone else’s palate like this, I can feel that I am connected to the world.
“Thank you for the meal. —To stay connected, I will surely come here again.”
“I will be waiting for you anytime.”
Ayumu passed through the noren curtain once more. This second time, wrapped in connections both on the plate and beyond it.
Watching Ayumu’s back as they left, Mashiro Ikkon returned to the kitchen. Tonight, once again, a single sake appetizer had been recorded.
Return to Episode 1
Return to Episode 31
Continue to Episode 33...
Magazine: Virtual Izakaya 'Shukoroku'
Bonus Recipe
Drain the mozzarella in a colander to remove excess water before slicing.
Slice the tomatoes and arrange them alternately with the mozzarella.
Sprinkle lightly with salt, scatter the basil, and drizzle with olive oil.
Ingredients List
Basil seedling: Just having this expands the range of your cooking.
Mozzarella cheese: Convenient bite-sized type.
Olive oil: The best balance of flavor and price. For everyday use.
Prosecco (3-bottle set): Enjoy three different expressions. Plus, it's a great deal.